When was the last time a United States automobile manufacturer started and lasted for longer than a decade?
Of the major US manufacturers, none were started after 1925 (though some had brands that began after that - like Saturn, which operated from 1990 to 2010); of the minor ones, only Tesla and DeLorean could be considered household names - and only one of those is manufacturing new automobiles.
Most of the minor manufacturers are niche (e.g., racing / supercar; off-road; golf cart; single-part mfg; kit; etc) oriented. Of the modern minor manufacturers that are or are planning to sell actual automobiles to consumers:
* Tesla produces ~700 vehicles per week, and has a global cumulative sales of 46,948 units through Sept '14.
* Fisker has delivered ~1,800 vehicles (ca 2012)
* Detroit Electric (revived in '08) has yet to deliver a single automobile
* Aurica doesn't even have a prototype
* AM General is primarily a military outfit, manufacturing HMMMWVs
Frankly, I'm impressed that a non-military-contractor has been able to even begin producing at the levels TSLA has been able to (~37,000 units per anum).
For a new automobile manufacturer, their sales numbers are anything but insignificant: they're larger than any other minor US manufacturer, and larger than a lot of foreign minor manufacturers.
When they are building at Toyota volumes with their diverse product range then I will be impressed.